[The Halls of Judgment]
The Great Hall of the Underworld was lit by a forest of ghost-fire lanterns, casting long, jagged shadows against the iron walls. Hades You Nian sat high upon his throne, his red eyes narrowed like a gathering storm. Below him stood the generals and Wan Luo, whose knuckles were white as she gripped her robes.
The heavy doors groaned open. Qing Fei entered with Gu Xingyu by her side. Following them, guards dragged the shackled Fu Ying, the iron chains clattering across the stone floor with a chilling, rhythmic strike.
"Qing Fei," You Nian's voice was a low growl. "I ordered you to watch the Saintess, not bring her here to disrupt the court. What is the meaning of this?"
"I am here to reveal a truth hidden for twenty years," Qing Fei replied, her voice ringing with a newfound authority. "I am here to demand justice for my daughter!"
[The Accusation]
Gu Xingyu stepped forward. She stood before the trembling Fu Ying, her gaze as sharp as a blade. "Twenty years ago, on the orders of the Chief of Internal Affairs, Wan Luo, you threw an infant into the vortex of the Yao-Gate. Do you remember?"
The hall erupted in hushed whispers. Fu Ying collapsed, his forehead slamming into the stone as he wailed in a mute, guttural agony. He pointed frantically at Wan Luo, his hands miming the strangulation of his own livelihood.
"He says he was forced!" a maid translated, her voice shaking. "He says Wan Luo threatened to starve him if he didn't obey!"
"Nonsense!" Wan Luo shrieked, her face pale. "This is a frame-up! A lowly mute's gestures mean nothing! This is a conspiracy by the Queen and this... this 'Saintess' to seize my power!"
[The Final Evidence]
Wan Luo knelt before the throne, weeping and pleading for mercy, claiming her twenty years of loyal service. The generals looked on with doubt; even the Emperor seemed to hesitate, his fingers tapping rhythmically on his desk.
Then, Xingyu stepped closer to Wan Luo, her shadow falling over the trembling woman. "You never thought I would survive in another world, did you? You never thought I would find my way back."
"You have no proof!" Wan Luo hissed. "You are just an outsider spinning lies!"
Qing Fei stepped forward, her eyes locked onto You Nian. "You Nian... do you remember? I once told you that our daughter, You Qing, was born with a specific mark. A small, crimson mole on her left waist."
[The Emperor's Awakening]
The world seemed to stop for You Nian. The tapping of his fingers ceased. That secret—the red mole—was something known only to him and his wife. It was the "Seal of the Heavens" they had whispered about in the privacy of their chambers twenty years ago.
He looked at Gu Xingyu. Crimson Eyes. The Red Mole. The probability was no longer a calculation; it was a certainty.
The fragments of the past—the suspicious disappearance, the sudden "attack" on Wan Luo that night, and the girl's sudden appearance from the Rift—all clicked into place like a lethal mechanism.
"Is it... truly her?" You Nian's voice was barely a whisper, a mix of overwhelming grief and exploding rage.
Wan Luo's screams of "conspiracy" grew more frantic, but they were now nothing more than the buzzing of an insect in a hall filled with the roar of a waking dragon. The truth was no longer a shadow; it was the sun, and it was about to burn Wan Luo to ashes.